MLB Weekend Notes

-The Minnesota Twins signed Third baseman Joe Crede to a 1 year contract. The deal has a base salary of 2.5 million with incentives the deal could total 7 million.

The key to the Twins success in recent years has been pitching and defense. Crede is among the top defensive 3rd baseman in the game so he should provide some much needed stability at the hot corner in the Metrodome. Offensively Crede gives the Twins the right handed power they desperately needed for the middle of their order. If Crede can stay on the field this should prove to be a great signing by the Twins.



-The Texas Rangers signed pitcher Kris Benson to a minor league contract. Benson has a career record of 68-73 with a 4.34 ERA over 7 big league seasons. He has not appeared in a big league game since 2006. Benson missed all of the ‘07 season and in ‘08 made 11 starts for the Phillies AAA team going 1-4 with a 5.52 ERA before being released.

This is basically a no lose situation for Texas. Benson is someone who has all the talent but has never been able to translate it to success on the field. Peter Gammons once even proclaimed him a future CY Young award winner many years ago. Texas is in dire need of any sort of reliable pitching. Their projected #5 start Brandon McCarthy has only been able to make 27 starts the last 2 seasons due to injuries. If Benson proves capable Texas can slide him into the #5 slot in the rotation and if not he’ll just go pitch in AAA. The Texas farm system is extremely deep so the Benson signing is nothing more than a stopgap or an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle for a season. I’m sure if Benson can give them 10-15 starts with an ERA around 4.50, Texas will feel like the signing paid off.



-The Oakland A’s have shown interest in signing free agent Nomar Garciaparra. Nomar struggled through an injury plagued ‘08 batting only .264 in 55 games for the LA Dodgers.

This could prove to be another shrewd move by Oakland GM Billy Beane. While Nomar is no longer the same player from his glory days in Boston, he has still proven himself to be a quality major league player over the last few seasons. Garciaparra could move the offensively disappointing SS Bobby Crosby into a more limited role as well as providing a backup for the oft injured 3rd baseman Eric Chavez.I’m sure nobody in the organization is naïve enough to believe Garciaparra will take over as the full time starting SS, but he is certainly an upgrade offensively over Crosby and he provides some depth in the lineup to go with newly acquired Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi.



-The Atlanta Braves have reportedly reached a deal with Outfielder Garrett Anderson. The deal is a 1 year contract worth 2.5 million dollars. It is believed Anderson will move into a platoon role at the Leftfield position will Matt Diaz.

This is a move the Braves needed to make. Anderson is no longer a quality defensive outfielder but he will give the Braves a quality bat and provide the ever popular veteran leadership. Anderson’s number have been very consistent over the last 4 seasons, so he should be a safe bet to bat in the .290s with a little bit of pop. After missing out on Ken Griffey Jr. earlier in the week the Braves needed to add a quality veteran until youngsters Jordan Schafer, Jason Heyward, and/or Gorkys Hernandez are ready to join the big league club.

-Robb Lennahan